USS Bonhomme Richard (1765)
| | Career | |
|---|
| Built: | 1765 |
| Entered Navy: | 4 February 1779 |
| Fate: | Sank in battle, 25 September 1779 |
| Struck: |
| General Characteristics |
|---|
| Displacement: | 998 tons (1014 tonnes) |
| Length: | 152 ft (46.3 m) |
| Beam: | 40 ft (12 m) |
| Draft: | 19 ft (5.8 m) |
| Propulsion: | Sail |
| Speed: |
| Complement: | 375 officers and enlisted |
| Armament: | 28 12-pounder smoothbore, six 18-pounder smoothbore, eight nine-pounder smoothbore |
The first
USS Bonhomme Richard, formerly
Duc de Durae, was a
frigate in the
Continental Navy.
She was originally an
East Indiaman, a
merchant ship built in
France for the
French East India Company in
1765, for service between France and the Orient. She was placed at the disposal of
John Paul Jones on
February 4,
1779, by King
Louis XVI of France as a result of a loan to the
United States by French shipping magnate,
Jacques-Donatien Le Ray. Jones renamed her
Bonhomme Richard, the
French language equivalent of "Poor Richard," in honor of
Benjamin Franklin's
almanac called
Poor Richard's Almanac.
On
June 19,
1779,
Bonhomme Richard sailed from
Lorient accompanied by
Alliance,
Pallas,
Vengeance, and
Cerf with troop transports and merchant vessels under convoy to
Bordeaux and to cruise against the
British in the
Bay of Biscay. Forced to return to port for repair, the squadron sailed again
August 14,
1779. Going northwest around the west coast of the
British Isles into the
North Sea and then down the east coast the squadron took 16 merchant vessels as prizes.
On
September 23,
1779, they encountered the Baltic Fleet of 41 sail under convoy of
HMS Serapis (44) and
Countess of Scarborough (22) near
Flamborough Head. After 18:00
Bonhomme Richard engaged
Serapis and a bitter engagement ensued during the next four hours that cost the lives of nearly half the American and British crews. At first, a British victory seemed inevitable as the more heavily armed
Serapis used its superior firepower to rake
Bonhomme Richard with devastating effect, killing Americans by the score. However, the Americans eventually pulled along side and lashed the two ships together. An attempt by the Americans to board
Serapis was repulsed, as was an attempt by the British to board
Bonhomme Richard. Finally, an American party under command of
Nathaniel Fanning seized control of the enemy tops and used this position to clear the deck below with grenades, mortars and gunfire, causing
Serapis to strike its colors.
Bonhomme Richard, shattered, on fire, and leaking badly defied all efforts to save her and sank at 11:00 on
September 25,
1779.
John Paul Jones sailed the captured
Serapis to the
United Provinces for repairs.
Though
Bonhomme Richard sank subsequent to the battle, the outcome of the battle convinced the French crown of the wisdom of backing the colonies in their fight to separate from
British authority. The defeat of
Serapis, no less in home waters, stung the
British admiralty.
Bonhomme Richard's final resting location is the subject of much speculation. A number of efforts have been conducted to locate the wreck. As of
2005, these efforts have been unsuccessful. The location of the wreck is presumed to be
Flamborough Head in
Yorkshire, a headland near where her final battle took place in approximately 180 feet of water. The number of other wrecks in the area and a century of fishing trawling operations have complicated all searches.
See
USS Bonhomme Richard for other ships of this name.
